Crowded, you gotta sit through a set by an iffy house band, and then wait and wait and wait your turn. BUT -- Coleman (bar owner) and Cameron and Adam are such wonderful people that I gladly put up with the down side as often as I can.
So far, in my experience, the best open mike in town.
finally checked this place out--i like it! another v. popular open mic. i think about 40 people signed up the night i went. i think each got 4 mins?
the crowd was a good mix of comedians and non-comedians and new comedians. the more i go to open mics, the more i see the same faces. nothing wrong with that, but it was nice to go here and see a bunch of people i've never seen before.
there is a band that plays at the beginning, so the actual comedy open mic doesn't start until 30 mins. or so after the posted start time.
this is my favorite open mic in the city. Cameron and Adam are not only hilarious comics, but great emcees who work their asses off to warm up the crowd, and to make sure each comic gets the fairest possible shake.
I do recommend getting there pretty early to get a good spot on the list. Plus you get to see the house band! I've never caught their name because it's usually being pronounced by an Irish Adam, an excited Cameron, or the drunk lead singer of the house band.
Did this mic last night. I'm a new comic and this one was a little intimidating as there are a lot of polished guys and gals going up every week. But, Cameron and Adam are such great hosts who want to see everyone succeed and that makes for a warm and generally receptive room. Even though it's receptive, it's hard to cull laughs from the 60% comic audience as comics don't laugh. They will, however, tell you if they liked your set, so that's nice.
I'm not sure if I would call this mic the best. I would say it's a 90% comic audience, but that's fine, most mics are. Set up of long narrow room with little seating kinda sucks. People are wandering around and talking loudly even more than at most mics, although Cameron and Adam try to regulate. They ask people repeatedly to go into the other room if they're going to have a conversation, but it doesn't seem to work. Cameron does do a good job of being welcoming and keeping the energy up. Doesn't start until 9:30 officially, sometimes later, and the hosts do a fair amount of material beteween comics which makes for a LONG night. Expect to be #20 or up unless you get there on like..Tuesday to sign up. Don't know who starts the sign up sheet or when, but it's always already been full even getting there at 7:30. $2 PBR and good beer for those with taste. Comics of all types are here, but it's heavy on the hipsters, and humor that plays to that demographic gets the best reception. It's good in many respects, not the best. Above all, be prepared for to stay late.
This place is over-rated. If you are not in the top 15 then the crowd is not gonna listen. The hosts like to spend a lot of time working on their sets, as to letting comics who have been waiting go up. The good part is 2.50 tall boys.
This is a pretty good open mic. It's definitely a late night, because there are so many comics and the hosts do a lotta time, too.
And the crowd is mostly hipsters--what I mean by that is people in their 20's and early 30's. This is a great place to try out material. If you can people's attention in the back and get them to shut the fuck up, you're doing a pretty good job.
Also, the people there are really friendly. Particularly the hosts, Side-Mullet and Beardy. I reccomend it. It's gritty, the crowd is young, and more often than not, the comics are funny.
Get there early. Be prepared to get heckled by the train on occasion. Hosts are great. Awesome place to network and meet other comics. This is a must hit for anyone trying to cut their teeth.
This mic is everything that's wrong with the bar-centric scene in Chicago. Yes, the hosts are nice (and very good), but it's hardly worth getting here at 5:30-6 and waiting until 10 or 11 to go on. Six hours for five minutes is a ridiculous trade.
Unless, of course, you're more interested in getting drunk with people and congratulating each other on how funny everyone thinks they are than you are in doing work on your sets. Which seems to be the point of the majority of open mics in this city.
I agree with the crazy wait time. On top of it, the seating is very sparse and the room is quite noisy. The hosts are good, and this is a very popular open mic, but I have to agree that the con's may outweigh the pro's.
Crowded, you gotta sit through a set by an iffy house band, and then wait and wait and wait your turn. BUT -- Coleman (bar owner) and Cameron and Adam are such wonderful people that I gladly put up with the down side as often as I can.
ReplyDeleteSo far, in my experience, the best open mike in town.
finally checked this place out--i like it! another v. popular open mic. i think about 40 people signed up the night i went. i think each got 4 mins?
ReplyDeletethe crowd was a good mix of comedians and non-comedians and new comedians. the more i go to open mics, the more i see the same faces. nothing wrong with that, but it was nice to go here and see a bunch of people i've never seen before.
there is a band that plays at the beginning, so the actual comedy open mic doesn't start until 30 mins. or so after the posted start time.
adam burke and cameron esposito are hilarious.
i'll be back.
good location.
this is my favorite open mic in the city. Cameron and Adam are not only hilarious comics, but great emcees who work their asses off to warm up the crowd, and to make sure each comic gets the fairest possible shake.
ReplyDeleteI do recommend getting there pretty early to get a good spot on the list. Plus you get to see the house band! I've never caught their name because it's usually being pronounced by an Irish Adam, an excited Cameron, or the drunk lead singer of the house band.
Did this mic last night. I'm a new comic and this one was a little intimidating as there are a lot of polished guys and gals going up every week. But, Cameron and Adam are such great hosts who want to see everyone succeed and that makes for a warm and generally receptive room. Even though it's receptive, it's hard to cull laughs from the 60% comic audience as comics don't laugh. They will, however, tell you if they liked your set, so that's nice.
ReplyDeleteA lot of fun. Best mic in the city.
I'm not sure if I would call this mic the best. I would say it's a 90% comic audience, but that's fine, most mics are. Set up of long narrow room with little seating kinda sucks. People are wandering around and talking loudly even more than at most mics, although Cameron and Adam try to regulate. They ask people repeatedly to go into the other room if they're going to have a conversation, but it doesn't seem to work. Cameron does do a good job of being welcoming and keeping the energy up. Doesn't start until 9:30 officially, sometimes later, and the hosts do a fair amount of material beteween comics which makes for a LONG night. Expect to be #20 or up unless you get there on like..Tuesday to sign up. Don't know who starts the sign up sheet or when, but it's always already been full even getting there at 7:30. $2 PBR and good beer for those with taste. Comics of all types are here, but it's heavy on the hipsters, and humor that plays to that demographic gets the best reception. It's good in many respects, not the best. Above all, be prepared for to stay late.
ReplyDeleteThis place is over-rated. If you are not in the top 15 then the crowd is not gonna listen. The hosts like to spend a lot of time working on their sets, as to letting comics who have been waiting go up. The good part is 2.50 tall boys.
ReplyDeleteThis is a pretty good open mic. It's definitely a late night, because there are so many comics and the hosts do a lotta time, too.
ReplyDeleteAnd the crowd is mostly hipsters--what I mean by that is people in their 20's and early 30's. This is a great place to try out material. If you can people's attention in the back and get them to shut the fuck up, you're doing a pretty good job.
Also, the people there are really friendly. Particularly the hosts, Side-Mullet and Beardy. I reccomend it. It's gritty, the crowd is young, and more often than not, the comics are funny.
I am a comic. I laugh. I don't think I'm so good that I can't laugh at someone who is better than me.
ReplyDeleteGet there early. Be prepared to get heckled by the train on occasion. Hosts are great. Awesome place to network and meet other comics. This is a must hit for anyone trying to cut their teeth.
ReplyDeleteThis mic is everything that's wrong with the bar-centric scene in Chicago. Yes, the hosts are nice (and very good), but it's hardly worth getting here at 5:30-6 and waiting until 10 or 11 to go on. Six hours for five minutes is a ridiculous trade.
ReplyDeleteUnless, of course, you're more interested in getting drunk with people and congratulating each other on how funny everyone thinks they are than you are in doing work on your sets. Which seems to be the point of the majority of open mics in this city.
I agree with the crazy wait time. On top of it, the seating is very sparse and the room is quite noisy. The hosts are good, and this is a very popular open mic, but I have to agree that the con's may outweigh the pro's.
ReplyDelete